


Puppy

by flootzavut



Series: Lie to NCIS [38]
Category: Lie to Me (TV), NCIS
Genre: Awesome Foursome, Comedy, Crossover, GxK, Humour, JxC, JxK, Kate Lives, Kibbs, Lie to NCIS, M/M, UST, crossoververse, foursomeverse, queer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 12:40:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10571508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flootzavut/pseuds/flootzavut
Summary: Cal accidentally lets out his inner puppy-dog...Crib notes for the fandom blindhere.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jenni3penny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenni3penny/gifts), [BadWolf303](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadWolf303/gifts), [PhoenixRising360](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixRising360/gifts).



> \- for encouragement over various iterations of this story and listening to me rave as I fell steadily more in love with Cal/Gibbs as a pairing ❤️
> 
> I imagine regular readers are sick to the back teeth of my crib notes, so I'll just reiterate that they're available [here](http://archiveofourown.org/series/334084).

* * *

_**Puppy** _

* * *

 

Gill has a strong suspicion both Cal and Jethro are already coming up with fistfuls of excuses to avoid future shopping trips. They're being good sports about it, and she's hoping when they see the end results, they'll agree it was worth the mortification. But she's aware that sitting holding purses surrounded by women's clothing is not something either of them is ever going to relish.

She pokes her head out through the curtain that cordons off the changing area from the rest of the store, just to check they aren't getting up to any mischief and to tell them she and Kate are almost done in this boutique.

Then she catches sight of the pair of them and bites her tongue.

Cal is snoring gently, his mouth wide open, a leg draped over the armrest, his arm hooked awkwardly over the back of the couch. All very much as usual, except that today mostly what he's actually leaning on is Gibbs. His head is caught between the couch cushions and Gibbs' shoulder; she'd think it must be incredibly uncomfortable except he looks so peaceful.

Jethro doesn't seem remotely fazed to have Cal napping on him; he's squinting through his glasses at whatever it is he's reading, and appears to be quite engrossed.

He's definitely... aware. When Cal makes an unusually loud snorting noise, he raises an eyebrow and glances sideways, smirking, momentarily amused but not at all bothered. If anything, he looks quite happy. He's not smiling exactly, but his expression is perfectly content.

Gill leans against the wall to watch them. Everything about the tableau speaks of comfort and casual intimacy, of two friends who are entirely at ease with one another. It's ridiculously heartwarming.

Cal snorts again, and this time Jethro doesn't look, just reaches over to pat Cal's head absentmindedly with his free hand. Cal hmmms and relaxes even more completely into the angle between Gibbs and the couch, smiling sleepily, and Gill has to bite the inside of her cheek so she doesn't let out a delighted giggle at how absurdly sweet it is.

Cal is a bit of a puppy around Jethro: eager to please, a little overawed, highly excitable, desperate for positive reinforcement. (He's never peed on Gibbs' shoes in a moment of stress, but she wouldn't entirely rule it out as a distant possibility.)

So it's always been obvious Cal has rather a thing for Gibbs, but she's never been able to figure out just how Jethro himself feels about it. She's absolutely certain he's noticed - he's much too intelligent and observant to have missed it - but beyond the occasional amused grin when Cal's more than usually yappy, he's kept his counsel far better than most. She's never worked out if he's bothered, embarrassed, if he likes it, or if he's dismissed it as nothing, as unimportant.

She hadn't dreamed Cal would make quite such a public, unambiguous display of that puppy dog loyalty and trust, and she wouldn't have dared hope Jethro would not only allow such a thing, but so readily accept it.

Seeing them like this, so relaxed, makes her smile, makes her happy, and makes her really, really not want to disturb them. She's pretty sure Cal will have a minor panic when he wakes and finds himself using Gibbs as a pillow, but while it'll definitely be amusing (and she plans to witness it), she finds the happy expression on his face in his sleep is not something she's willing to spoil sooner than she absolutely has to.

She hears Kate come up behind her, and aims a 'shhh!' over her shoulder.

"What?" Kate whispers obediently, but looks concerned.

Gill just grins and gestures at the couch with her head, then grins more as Kate displays surprise, affection and amusement in quick succession.

"Oh my God." Kate presses her hands against her mouth, trying to contain her response. "That is  _adorable_."

"Isn't it?"

They both watch for a minute.

Cal mumbles something incomprehensible into the upholstery. Jethro aims an indulgent smile at the top of Cal's head and laughs softly. He says something; Gill can't quite catch it, though she thinks it might have been 'idiot', but whatever it was, it was low and warm and affectionate. He tousles Cal's hair, and the smile stays on his face this time even when his attention goes back to his reading matter.

When Gillian can tear her eyes away from the couch, she realises Kate's also back in street clothes.

"Didn't find anything you liked?"

"No. I don't think the dresses here are designed for actual real human females." Kate rolls her eyes.

Gill nods sympathetically, though her gaze drifts back to their partners. "Part of me wants to leave them be and come back for them later."

Kate chuckles. She holds her hand up, and there's the familiar sound of a simulated shutter. She turns her phone towards Gill. "At least we have a permanent record. I'm setting that as my wallpaper."

Gill giggles into her hand as she reaches for her own phone. "I like how you think. Too cute not to save for posterity."

She's still fiddling with the settings when she catches movement from the couch. She looks up to find Jethro is peering at them over his glasses. His expression of knowing amusement makes Gill think he's been aware of them staring for quite some time, and she's startled how well he covered.

"You girls done yet?" he asks, quietly. He cocks an eyebrow at their guilty expressions, and his mouth twitches into a smirk.

Gill blushes, and is relieved to notice, out of the corner of her eye, that Kate is turning pink as well. She swallows hard. At least he doesn't seem pissed about it.

"Um, yes, we're done - we're done, right Kate?" It's strange how she's stuttering, like she was somehow intruding on an intimate moment when they're in the middle of a store full of shoppers and sale assistants.

Kate nods dumbly.

Jethro smirks wider, then looks down at the other occupant of the couch. Gill expects him to administer a headslap or just elbow Cal in the ribs, but his expression softens, and the nudge toward wakefulness is surprisingly gentle. "C'mon, buddy, nap time's over."

Cal grumbles a bit, mutters incomprehensibly a little more. Then his eyes blink open before going wide, and he flails with both arms and both legs as he tries to get upright. Another nudge and he's sitting straight-ish, rubbing his face, looking sheepishly around as if he's searching for a way to distract attention from how he was just sound asleep against Gibbs' shoulder. "Um. I, um."

Gill grins. Kate and she might have been caught staring, but besides the cuteness, she also thinks it's worth it to witness Cal so discombobulated.

Jethro pats him on the back. Cal's ears are sporting beautiful bright red edges as he looks back and forth between the three of them and wipes at the drool which has accumulated at the corner of his mouth. Eventually his shoulders droop. "Okay, I fell asleep. You can rip the Mickey out of me for it later, all right?" He casts a wary glance at Gibbs, who's smirking still. "And you, just-" The flailing is emotional and mostly internal this time, but as far as Gill's concerned, it's even more amusing than the physical version. The worried expression he eventually settles on reminds her of the beloved basset hound which was a family pet when she was small.

Jethro's smirk widens to a full on grin as he gets up, his eyes sparkling with barely repressed laughter. Gill wonders if he's resisting the temptation to say 'Heel!' or if that's just a product of her own unruly imagination.

(Of course, getting Cal  _not_  to eagerly follow Jethro Gibbs around would be the real trick.)

Regardless, one thing is clear; Cal's still smitten, and apparently Jethro doesn't mind. Even if the shopping expedition remains unsuccessful, Gill's inclined to count this afternoon as a win.

_~ fin ~_

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still organising this section of this verse, so stories may be posted out of chronological order.


End file.
